Card Range To Study

147 Cards in this Set

native, originating in a place (adj)
The indiginous peoples of South America are threatened by development in the rain forests.

subjective

relating to the mind as the subject of experience (adj)
Human emotions can only be experienced in a subjective manner; they are inexplicable to an outsider.

paradox

seeming contradiction or an actual contradiction (n)
The paradox of time travel will be resolved when we learn more about the nature of space and time as a continuum.
It is a paradox that while Dan speaks publicly about good parenting, at home he is distant and neglectful of his children.

anomalous

irregular, unusual (adj)
Darwin once said that there is nothing more anomalous in nature than a bird that cannot fly.

gregarious

outgoing, very friendly (adj)
Because Aileen is very gregarious, she would be the best person for the welcoming committee.

viscous

having a thick consistency, gelatinous (adj)
Winnie discovered that the viscous fluid dripping from the kitchen cupboard was, in fact, honey oozing from a cracked jar.

ephemeral

fleeting, of short life or duration (adj)
Sand castles are an ephemeral art form; they last only until the next tide.

corroborate

to confirm, to make certain (v)
Ethel could not find a witness to corroborate her alibi, so she was convicted on all counts.

implicit

implied, tacitly understood (adj)
Many constitutional scholars believe that the right of privacy is implicit in the Bill of Rights, even though it is nowhere stated as such.

lucid

clear, understandable (adj)
Teddy was surprisingly lucid after the car wreck; I know I would have been babbling nonsense.

prodigal

foolishly generous, not thrifty (adj)
Katherine was being prodigal with her inheritance, instead of setting some of it aside for her old age.

feign

to pretend (v)
Joe found it difficult to feign surprise when he had known all along what he was getting for Christmas.

specious

having the deceptive look of truth (adj)
The Senator seems to prefer a specious argument to a sound one, and a plausible statement to a truthful one.

arbitrary

random, capricious, impartial (adj)
Theresa's decision to cast Bob rather than Fred in the leading role was purely arbitrary.

hostility, enmity (n)
There was enormous antagonism between the Capulets and the Montagues, resulting in great tragedy for their children.

antipathy

strong feeling against, dislike for (n)
Despite the fact that his whole family loved it, George had great antipathy toward broccoli.

dogma

firmly held belief
It is a dogma of academia that if one does not publish papers, then one does not merit tenure.

pertinent

clearly relevant (adj)
Gerald's discourse on the mating habits of chimpanzees was not pertinent to the class on cellular biology.

variance

difference, disagreement (n)
Meghan's interpretation of the events of last night is at variance with the accounts of her friends.

incompatible

not well matched, unsuited (adj)
Because Albert smokes and Nell is a non-smoker, they are definitely incompatible as office-mates.

isolate

to separate and make alone or single (v)
Scientists in France and the United States vied to be the first to isolate the HIV virus.

sever

to cut off completely (v)
The former junkie sought to sever his ties with his former friends who still used drugs.

synthesis

the combination of diverse elements into one (n)
Walter's personality was a pecular synthesis of flightiness and a great ability to concentrate on the task at hand.

engender

to create, foster (v)
Marjorie did her best to engender feelings of goodwill and community among the members of the club.

discrete

distinct, separate (adj)
The Mathematics Department is a discrete entity, and is not part of the College of Science and Engineering.

disperse

to spread out (v)
The police ordered the crowd to disperse during the demonstration.

eccentric

unusual, strange (adj)
It is a double standard that when rich people behave strangely, they are called eccentric, but when poor people are odd, they are just crazy.

redundant

repetitive, and thus unnecessary (adj)
When my grandfather appeared wearing both suspenders and a belt to hold up his pants, my mom suggested that his accessories were a bit redundant.

precursor

a necessary predecessor (n)
African-American blues is a precursor to contemporary rock-n-roll.

indigenous

native, originating in a place (adj)
The indiginous peoples of South America are threatened by development in the rain forests.

subjective

relating to the mind as the subject of experience (adj)
Human emotions can only be experienced in a subjective manner; they are inexplicable to an outsider.

paradox

seeming contradiction or an actual contradiction (n)
The paradox of time travel will be resolved when we learn more about the nature of space and time as a continuum.
It is a paradox that while Dan speaks publicly about good parenting, at home he is distant and neglectful of his children.

anomalous

irregular, unusual (adj)
Darwin once said that there is nothing more anomalous in nature than a bird that cannot fly.

gregarious

outgoing, very friendly (adj)
Because Aileen is very gregarious, she would be the best person for the welcoming committee.

viscous

having a thick consistency, gelatinous (adj)
Winnie discovered that the viscous fluid dripping from the kitchen cupboard was, in fact, honey oozing from a cracked jar.

ephemeral

fleeting, of short life or duration (adj)
Sand castles are an ephemeral art form; they last only until the next tide.

corroborate

to confirm, to make certain (v)
Ethel could not find a witness to corroborate her alibi, so she was convicted on all counts.

implicit

implied, tacitly understood (adj)
Many constitutional scholars believe that the right of privacy is implicit in the Bill of Rights, even though it is nowhere stated as such.

lucid

clear, understandable (adj)
Teddy was surprisingly lucid after the car wreck; I know I would have been babbling nonsense.

prodigal

foolishly generous, not thrifty (adj)
Katherine was being prodigal with her inheritance, instead of setting some of it aside for her old age.

feign

to pretend (v)
Joe found it difficult to feign surprise when he had known all along what he was getting for Christmas.

specious

having the deceptive look of truth (adj)
The Senator seems to prefer a specious argument to a sound one, and a plausible statement to a truthful one.

arbitrary

random, capricious, impartial (adj)
Theresa's decision to cast Bob rather than Fred in the leading role was purely arbitrary.

hostility, enmity (n)
There was enormous antagonism between the Capulets and the Montagues, resulting in great tragedy for their children.

antipathy

strong feeling againsst, dislike for (n)
Despite the fact that his whole family loved it, George had great antipathy toward broccoli.

dogma

firmly held belief (n)
It is a dogma of academia that if one does not publish papers, then one does not merit tenure.

pertinent

clearly relevant (adj)
Gerald's discourse on the mating habits of chimpanzees was not pertinent to the class on cellular biology.

variance

difference, disagreement (n)
Meghan's interpretation fo the events of last night is at variance with the accounts of her friends.

incompatible

not well matched, unsuited (adj)
Becasue Albert smokes and Nell is a non-smoker, they are definitely incompatible as office-mates.

isolate

to separate and make alone or single (v)
Scientists in France and the United States vied to be the first to isolate the HIV virus.

sever

to cut off completely (v)
The former junkie sought to sever his ties with his former friends who still used drugs.

synthesis

the combination of diverse elements into one (n)
Walter's personality was a peculiar synthesis of flightiness and a great ability to concentrate on the task at hand.

engender

to create, foster (v)
Marjorie did her best to engender feelings of goodwill and community among the members of the club.

discrete

distinct, separate (adj)
The Mathematics Department is a discrete entity, and is not part of the College of Science and Engineering.

disperse

to spread out (v)
The police ordered the crowd to disperse during the demonstration.

eccentric

unusual, strange (adj)
It is a double standard that when rich people behave strangely, they are called eccentric, but when poor people are odd, they are just crazy.

redundant

repetitive, and thus unnecessary (adj)
When my grandfather appeared wearing both suspenders and a belt to hold up his pants, my mom suggested taht his accessories were a bit redundant.

precursor

a necessary predecessor (n)
African-American blues is a precursor to contemporary rock-n-roll.

defer

to postpone, or to submit to another (v)
Jane could defer her student loan payments for two years after joining the Peace Corps.
Jonathan decided to defer to his father when making financial judments.

catalyst

a thing that sets another in motion or causes change (n)
The budget crisis was a catalyst for the city council to act on the bond issues.

disarm

to deprive of weapons, or to win over, ingratiate (v)
The SWAT team was able to disarm the sniper before he could hurt anyone.
I was disarmed by her sweet smile and generous nature.

prone

inclined, or the positioin of lying face down (adj)
Matthew was prone to spend too much money while on dates.
I fell asleep while lying prone on the beach, and as a result got a terrible sunburn on my back and legs.

rotational force, twist (n)
Because the lid of the jar was slippery, Greg could not apply enough torque to open it.

digress

to move away from (v)
The professor continued to digress from the topic of discussion.

diverge

to go apart in different directions (v)
Although the sisters had been the closest of friends while growing up, their paths began to diverge when they became adults.

tangential

peripheral, not on the subject at hand (adj)
Spencer has only a tangential interest in metallurgy; his real interest is metallic sculpture.

porous

having pores, having minute holes (adj)
Unfortunately, the lining of the landfill was extremely porous, and allowed waste to seep through.

plummet

to fall suddenly (v)
The skydiver plummeted toward the ground until her parachute opened.

circumlocution

excessive speaking, wordiness (n)
The candidate's circumlocution prevented him from being well-received by the impatient audience.

perturb

to disquiet, upset (v)
You cannot perturb my grandmother, she has seen everything.

opaque

not transparent, not letting light through (adj)
Simon hung opaque blue curtains in order to make his room cool and dark.

impenetrable

unable to be penetrated, pierced (adj)
The wall around the ancient city was impenetrable, forcing the invading army to lay siege to the city.

desiccate

to dry out, dehydrate (v)
Out in the desert, things tend to desiccate rapidly, preserving the remains of ancient Native Americans sites for centuries.

phenomenon

an occurrence (n)
The aurora borealis is an exciting and colorful phenomenon.

tacit

unspoken yet understood (adj)
The two brothers had a tacit agreement not to compete against one another for the same girl.

whimsy

caprice, a playful thing (n)
Putting the colorful streamers in the tree branches was pure whimsy.

abstract

theoretical (adj), or to summarize (v), or a summary (n)
Justice is an abstract idea.
The assistant had to abstract all the relevant articles, so that his boss could get the gist of them quickly.
The abstract at the beginning of the report indicated that it was not pertinent to Jenny's paper.

dubious

doubtful, questionable (adj)
The painting, which looked like a Picasso, was of dubious authenticity.

platitude

a trite saying, bromide (n)
Whenever Mike complained about having to walk to school, his father would start spouting the usual platitudes about when he was Mike's age.

fallacy

a logical flaw, mistake (n)
The fallacy of Ralph's argument lay in his erroneous assumptions about nature.

demur

to hesitate, protest (v)
When offered lemon meringue pie, Jeremy felt he could not demur.

assert

to state without need of proof (v)
Wendy is going to assert her claim to her grandmother's legacy.

refute

to disprove, to argue against (v)
Barbara could not refute the argument in favor of the new tax structure.

inquisitive

curious, seeking knowledge (adj)
My kitten is very inquisitive; she gets into every basket and box in my room.

mundane

everyday, pedestrian (adj)
Harold did not want to be concerned with such mundane chores such as grocery shopping and housecleaning.

coherent

intelligible, consistent (adj)
Carolyn could not make a coherent statement after witnessing the disastrous flood.

equivocal

wavering, vacillating (adj)
The politican's equivocal reply to the reporter's questions was seen by the opposition as flip-flopping.

harangue

long, complaining speech (n)
Peter's harangue concerning the hotel's lack of service was embarrassing to his companions.

jargon

specialized vocabulary (n)
The scientist could not explain her research without using a lot of highly technical jargon.

succinct

concise, stating in few words (adj)
Bill could not state his opinion succinctly, he went on and on until most of the audience had left.

diffuse

to spread thinly (v), or scattered (adj)
The firefighters tried to diffuse the noxious fumes by ventilating the area.
The diffuse particles of soot and ash fell all over town.

articulate

well-spoken, intelligible (adj), or to speak clearly and distinctly (v)
our class valedictorian is an extremely articulate and poised young man.
The rock singer could articulate the jumbled emotions felt by the teenagers.

garrulous

extremely talkative (adj)
Hilary is a garrulous child; she just chatters constantl to anyone who will listen.

orate

to make a speech, esp. pompously (v)
Carrie was prepared to orate at great length on the evils of strong drink.

laconic

of few words, reticent (adj)
Calvin Coolidge was so famous for his laconic nature that he was nicknamed 'Silent Cal.'

obscure

to hide (v), or hidden, vague, not easily understood (adj)
The clouds obscured the sunlight.
An obscure historical figure was the basis for Joan's next book.

chicanery

flim-flam, trickery (n)
The salesman's chicanery led to Terry's purchase of many items she did not need.

furtive

secret, sneaky (adj)
The weasel seemed furtive as it scurried through the underbrush with its prey in its mouth.

volatile

unstable, likely to explode or vaporize (adj)
The oils used in preparing the perfume are highly volatile and must be kept tightly sealed.

extemporize

to speak spontaneously (v)
Diane is so smart that she is able to extemporize on virtually any subject.

zealot

one who has great enthusiasm, esp. for a cause (n)
When it comes to voting rights, Nelson has always been a zealot.

espouse

to take to oneself, to adopt a belief (v)
Ronnie espoused the most peculiar beliefs about the economy.

provocative

tending to stimulate (adj)
Ben's proposal for changing the systems of management was provocative; the whole office debated its merits.

superfluous

excess, extra (adj)
After the party, the superfluous refreshments were taken to the children.

expend

to use up (v)
Margaret could not expend too much energy keeping up with her six grandchildren, or she would collapse from exhaustion.

malevolent

evil, having evil intent (adj)
The dragon had a malevolent gleam in his eye as it pounced upon the unwary travelers.

paragon

an ideal, a perfect model (n)
With his great physique and good looks, Howard was a paragon of virility.

nullify

negate, make invalid (v)
The hockey team captain's cheating led the commissioner to nullify the team's winning score.

consummate

complete, accomplish (v); or perfect, to a high degree (adj)
The lawyers consummated the settlement over a champagne toast.
It was a consummate performance of the piano concerto, with both artistic and technical perfection achieved.

arduous

difficult, strenuous (Adj)
It was an especially arduous climb; all the mountaineers were exhausted when it was over.

felicity

happiness, pleasantness (n)
We might live in even more felicity if we were married.

prodigy

very talented child (n)
The Harrisons suspected their daughter was a prodigy when she was doing multiplication at the age of three.

guile

cunning, trickery (n)
Herman used guile to insinuate himself into the exclusive party.

ingenious

extremely clever, original (Adj)
At its first appearance in 1879, the telephone was seen as an ingenious device.

imperative

necessary, immediately important (adj)
It was imperative that the messenger see the general before the battle commenced.

constrain

restrict, confine (v)
It was impossible to constrain the children within the bounds of behavior acceptable in a china shop.

suppress

keep secret, contain, inhibit (v)
Information about the CIA's covert operations in the former Soviet Union has been suppressed for decades.

capitulate

give in, surrender (v)
The Confederate Army was more than ready to capitulate when Lee finally surrendered at the Appomattox Courthouse.

obsequious

sycophantic, fawning (adj)
Groupies are an obsequious sort; they are constantly ingratiating themselves with their idol, or some member of their idol's entourage.

placate

please, pacify (v)
A six-year-old having a tantrum cannot be placated; he will fuss long after you give him what he wants.

affluent

wealthy (adj)
Adrienne was from a very affluent family, she never lacked for anything.

zeal

fanatical enthusiasm (n)
The zeal of the candidate's followers was so great as to be frightening at times.

inhibit

restrain, forbid (v)
No American can be inhibited from practicing her or his religion, no mater how peculiar.

plasticity

malleability, stretchiness (adj)
The modeling clay needed more water added to it in order to regain its plasticity.

cynic

one who has an attitude of contempt, distrust (n)
Those who break the law solely because others do so are the worst kind of cynic.

bolster

support (v)
Henry attempted to bolster his argument with irrelevant considerations and unfounded assumptions.

resolute

determined, faithful (adj)
Kate was resolute in her decision to marry Keith.

connoisseur

one who appreciates fine things (n)
Grace was a connoisseur of haute cuisine as well as nouvelle cuisine.

decorous

in good taste, very proper (adj)
At the garden party, the children were expected to behave in an appropriately decorous manner.

euphemism

mild word or phrase substituted for an offensive one (n)
The politician's speech was full of euphemisms and buzzwords; he never said exactly what he meant.

pedantic

overly scholarly (adj)
Carroll was being pedantic by insisting on double checking every fact in the story.

bombast

pompous speech (n)
Although he said a few things of substance, the congressman's speech was mostly bombast.

arrogant

overbearing, proud (adj)
George was awfully arrogant, strutting around as though he owned the place.

misanthrope

one who hates humanity (n)
Lex was so angry at the whole world for so long that he became a misanthrope.

jeer

to taunt, deride (v)
The crowd jeered at the pitcher after he walked three batters.

disingenuous

seemingly honest while not being so (adj)
Clyde was disingenuous with his date when he asked her if she wanted to see his etchings.

propriety

appropriateness, social acceptability (n)
The propriety of Miss Manners' behavior is above question.

heretic

one who holds unorthodox or unapproved beliefs (n)
jones was considered a heretic by other economists for hsi radical views of economic growth.

authentic

genuine, trustworthy (adj)
The feelinhgs expressed by the suitors were undoubtedly authentic.

eradicate

to eliminate completely (v)
Cheryl could not eradicate the cockroaches from her apartment, so she called a professional exterminator.

gist

general meaning, essence (n)
Although he was not fluent in French, Gus could catch the gist of the French song's lyrics.

objective

empirically provable, existing independently (adj)
The three witnesses told the same story, so the detective knew the incident was an objective fact.

affiliation

connection, association (n)
Jeanne went to Notre Dame high School, which has no affiliation with the famous college of the same name.

apposite

relevant, to the point (adj)
Gretchen's comments were apposite to the discussion, and clarified many points.